This Throwback Thursday, Vance and Jay discuss “The Wreck of X-44” from Space Adventures #36 by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko. We also touch on DC Universe: Rebirth and the possibility that Captain Atom might be God.

In this episode of Silver & Gold, we discuss what I like to call “Captain Atom versus the French Canadian Separatists.” After a brief discussion about Captain Atom’s junk, we review Captain Atom (vol 1, DC) #2 by Cary Bates, Pat Broderick, Bob Smith, Carl Gafford, and John Costanza.

What do you do when you create a super-hero so powerful he could give the God-like Superman a run for his money? Who can you pit such a character against? You can’t have him butting heads with other super-heroes all the time, can you? No. You create an all-new super-villain with comparable powers as a foil. But first you try to pass him off as a super-hero. And hope he never stuffs anyone’s dead girlfriend into a refrigerator.

It was November 3, 1987 that this issue was published (cover dated February 1988). Captain Atom was no longer a freshman in the DC Universe. It was the 38th appearance of the character since his reboot a year prior. He’d made a name for himself in the pages of his own book and had played an essential role in Millennium. Time for the Captain to face a new and deadly foe…

But not yet. That’s still to come in Captain Atom Annual #1. This issue is merely paving the way.

It begins in a lab. A creature, referred to as “the Major,” is being monitored by General Eiling and Dr. Megala. His temperature is 214 degrees Celsius and his weight is 505.46 pounds. He is some distance away, being tracked from afar in a mobile lab. Dr. Megala indicates that the Major is journeying through the quantum field, just as Nathaniel Adam did. Nate’s arrival a year before was unexpected. The Major, it seems, was expected. The gear tracking him is all underground. Eiling indicates that they are, indeed, prepared for “Major Force,” thanks to data they collected from Captain Atom’s trip through the quantum field.

Major Force materializes underground in the same molten stage Nate was in when he arrived. Eiling wastes no time and hits the Major with Delta-9 gas, instantly incapacitating the Major. Allard operates a winch to pull the Major to the surface. He awakens just as they are lowering him into a truck, where he is hit with more gas and knocked out again. Eiling showers Allard with praise, saying he knew he was the right man for the job. It seems odd at first, but makes sense later on.

Allard’s mind wanders to a time when he was a child. He was hiding in a closet in his home. He opens the door slightly, obviously frightened. All he can hear are “her” screams.

This scene parallels a memory Nate is having at the same time. A young boy hiding in a closet; hiding from his father. This young boy, though, is Randy Adam. He is not hiding in fear. He is playing hide-and-seek with his father, whom he calls “the greatest.” This is the memory Nate’s mind is wandering over as he is being transported via helicopter to the Arctic headquarters of “Project Majestic.”

Nate (still using the name “Cameron Scott”) is paying a visit to his son Randy (aka Randall Eiling). He hasn’t yet seen his son since he emerged from the quantum field with super powers. He’s reconnected with his daughter Peggy but Randy considers his birth father a traitor and murderer. As soon as he touches down and gets into the facility, he and his pilot see rushing soldiers and red flashing lights. There is some kind of trouble in the field, where Randy currently is.

Back at Project Captain Atom, Lieutenant Allard, General Eiling, and Dr. Megala are overseeing the Major’s preparations. While he is still in his “molten” stage, they are having microphones and cameras implanted within the Major’s (soon-to-be) metal skin. He also has 63 Delta-9 micro-gas pellets implanted in his brow so he can be easily subdued. Eiling isn’t taking any chances with this character. He doesn’t want another Nate, disobeying orders left and right while being insubordinate. He is also being implanted with an explosive in his neck, so that if becomes too unstable or dangerous they can literally blow his head off. Megala clearly doesn’t like it. Allard clearly agrees with Eiling that the Major needs to remain under their constant control but still looks angry as he observes the operation.

Back at Project Majestic, the control room is abuzz. They are tracking an unknown object and see that the Russians are tracking the same object. Three Soviet tanks are headed for the object and it appears they will reach it before the Majestic team will. Visibility in the blizzard outside is near zero. When Nate’s pilot turns to address him, he discovers that Captain Scott has left the room.

Nate is out in the snow. He “knows” someone who can help Randall Eilings team… the “silver guy.” Randy, aboard a snow crawler called a “Locus,” determines that the object is broadcasting an energy signal into the sky at regular intervals. It is clearly sending a signal to someone or something. They find the object, which appears to be a small red probe of some kind. It appears to be extra-terrestrial.

Captain Atom appears overhead, but doesn’t take any action at first. He observes the American soldiers exiting their Locus and approaching the probe. They are unaware that they are also being watched by a Soviet tank crew. Eiling’s team does eventually spot the tank, but Eiling continues toward the probe. Captain Atom admires his son’s “stones.” Cap knows that the Soviets in general would want to avoid a confrontation, but the tank crew might not be so level-headed. Also wary of starting an international incident, Cap burrows under the ice so he won’t be seen. Cap melts the ice under the now two tanks on the scene and they sink. One of the tank commanders calls for air support.

The probe has stopped broadcasting. Eiling’s team have collected it and are hurrying toward the Locus when the Soviet plane arrives. Their orders are simple. If “Mother Russia” can’t have the probe, then no one can. They open fire on the Majestic men, but Captain Atom absorbs the blast, hidden by cloud cover and the blizzard. Randy thinks he sees something in the sky as he closes the hatch on the Locus. The plane makes another pass, ready to fire its four remaining missiles. Nate is seriously ticked off. He does the “eye flare” thing as he retaliates.

Back at Project Majestic’s base, Randy is clearly not impressed by Nate’s presence. He refers to his father as “Captain Scott,” and shows him the respect he would to any officer that outranks him (Randy is a lieutenant). Nate asks his son to not stand on ceremony with him as he is Randy’s father. “Depends on your point of view, sir,” replies Randy.

Before walking out on Nate, Randy agrees to pass judgement on his father until Nate has a chance to “prove [his] side of things.” But he also clearly has no interest in maintaining any sort of relationship with his father. Randy is truly “General Eiling’s Man.”

The story then cuts back to Allard’s childhood memory. He emerges from the darkened closet, terrified. His mother has stopped screaming, but the “big man” is making sounds. He watches in horror as the “big man” chokes his mother to death. He doesn’t understand what he is seeing, but it will never go away.

The nightmare never ended for Allard. The man who killed his mother was Clifford Zmeck, a former supply sergeant for the 601st Airborne, U.S. Air Force. He was convicted of the rape and murder of Elaine Allard in 1969, sentenced to life in prison with no hope of parole. After the apparent death of Nathaniel Adam, a new test subject was needed. Zmeck was not a volunteer like Nate. Almost a year to the day, the experiment that gave Nate his powers was recreated with Zmeck. 200% more alien alloy was used on Zmeck but the result was the same. He appeared to be killed.

Of course, he was transported to the future just like Nate. And in the lab, as Zmeck’s body lays prone in the next room, General Eiling confronts Lieutenant Allard. He tells Allard he has read Allard’s file. He knows Martin’s motivation for being involved in the Captain Atom/Major Force Projects. He says he understands why Allard’s finger is hovering over the button that will detonate the charge in the Major’s neck, and wouldn’t blame Allard if he did it.

General Eiling refers to Martin Allard as “the true son of my heart.” He has a proposition for Allard. Whether Martin accepts or not, Eiling promises him that when the time comes, Allard will be the one who ends Major Force’s life.

To be continued in Captain Atom Annual #1.

This was an important issue. Nate finally comes face-to-face with his estranged son. Major Force emerges from the quantum field. We get Allard’s back story. It is great except for one thing. The violent imagery doesn’t seem entirely necessary. Did we really have to see Zmeck kill Allard’s mom? I don’t argue that the image was powerful, and it did leave an impression on my fifteen-year-old mind when I saw it. I just think maybe Broderick could have cut the panel short at Zmeck’s wrists. And what’s with Cap killing that Russian pilot? I know he was trying to kill Randy, but there were dozens of ways Nate could have subdued the pilot without killing him. This issue was just so violent. I give the story a C but Broderick’s art an A. I mean, violent or not, unnecessary or not, that was a mighty powerful image.

The first thing to strike me about this book is the cover. It is an homage to Michelangelo’s Pietà sculpture housed in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. The statue depicts Mary holding Jesus after he has been crucified. In this case it is Plastique holding Captain Atom after he has been cut open by the Cambodian. This touches on a running theme with this incarnation of Captain Atom; he was raised Catholic. That really comes in to play heavily about thirty issues down the line. We’ll get there.

As this is a continuation from Captain Atom #7, we are treated with a quick refresher. Cap is passed out after releasing a bunch of energy from his cut. Plastique is standing over him, contemplating killing him.

Plastique refers to Captain Atom as the only man who has bested her in a fight. Is she forgetting Firestorm? Or does he not count because Ronnie Raymond is a teenager? Probably she just has a very selective memory.

As she stands over Cap, savoring this moment when she will kill him, a group of armed Cambodians in red shirts and caps emerge from the jungle and approach the Samurai. He comes to and orders his men to kill Plastique and Captain Atom. They open fire, but Plastique quickly picks up Cap’s unconscious body and uses him as a shield.

Plastique kills the soldiers with her pink energy blast but the Cambodian is protected by his X-Ionized shield and armor. She uses her blasts to topple a tree on top of the Cambodian, the picks up Captain Atom’s inert body and carries him deeper into the jungle.

Meanwhile, in General Eiling’s office, he and his stepson Randall are playing chess. Randy wins just as his tearful sister Peggy bursts in and throws her jacket at the board. She is upset that Randy and the General don’t care that Captain Scott (aka her father Nathaniel Adam) hasn’t been heard from. Eiling tries to calm her, but she knows neither the General nor her brother give a damn about Nate. Randy catches her in the hallway after she storms out and hands her a transcript of Nate’s trial. He wants her to read it cover-to-cover to find out “exactly what kind of man Nathaniel Adam really was.”

Now, I may be reading too much into this, but Randy’s use of the word “was” seems to indicate – on some level – that he may think his father isn’t the criminal he always believed he was. Like a part of him desperately wants to believe Nate has or can redeem himself. I’m probably stretching here. I really want to like Randy but Cary Bates isn’t making it easy.

Back in Cambodia, every time Plastique stops to rest she notices that Captain Atom’s condition seems to have worsened. He’s feverish and his wound appears to be bubbling with what looks like lava. She has no idea what to do for him. Why does she care? Perhaps she sees him as her only way out of the jungle.

She finds shelter in a cave just in time to miss a downpour. She doesn’t think Captain Atom will live through the night. She watches him sleep, wondering if there is anything she can do about his wound. She finally decides to attempt using her own powers and cauterize the cut and burn away any infected tissue. She does so, causing Captain Atom to sit up and scream in pain and revert to his human appearance.

Plastique recognizes Cameron Scott, but already suspected he was Captain Atom. As he lays there, curled in the fetal position and naked, Plastique approaches him with her right hand charging with power. She hates both Cameron Scott and Captain Atom. Now would be a prime time to kill him, in his weakened human form. She flashes back to a time after her last encounter with Cap.

She was being transferred from Belle Reve Prison in Louisiana to a maximum security prison in Ontario. The transport was ambushed and Plastique was freed by her comrades, who then dissolve their relationship with her. That is why she put her terrorist skills on the open market and how she came to be in Cambodia.

Nate awakens the next day, surprised to find himself with Plastique. He is equally shocked when he realizes he is naked and that she knows his secret identity. She outfits him with a stolen Cambodian uniform and they begin trekking through the jungle. She explains that she kept him alive because she knows he is an expert on the Cambodian terrain (she learned this when watching his group and reading their lips). As they hike along, Nate tells her she knows what he must do once he is strong enough to transform again. While she doesn’t admire his directness, she is glad she kept him alive. They make good time.

As they climb the Dangrek Mountains, Nate tells her they’ll be in Thailand soon. Plastique then decides she will kill him. But she loses her footing and slips, nearly falling over a cliff. Nate catches her by the wrist and hangs on, halting her fall. He can’t keep hold of her without transforming and she warns him this might rip open his wound.

Disregarding the consequences, he transforms and lifts her up. The wound didn’t open. Captain Atom says, apart from a little numbness, he feels fine. He seems to be able to heal at a rapid rate (New power!). Plastique decides it would not be prudent to kill him now, but will wait until they are out of Cambodia. They continue hiking (But why? Can’t he just fly them out now?).

Just as Plastique is preparing to attack, Captain Atom sees something behind her and pushes her to safety. It is the Samurai (the Cambodian), who narrowly misses taking Plastique’s head off. Cap dropkicks him, but he regains his balance using his sword and amazing reflexes. The Cambodian smacks Cap in the face with his shield. He blasts back but the shield protects the warlord. Plastique decides now would be a good time to head for Thailand.

Captain Atom jumps and narrowly misses being cut in half, but the Cambodian grabs his ankle and slams him to the ground, dazing Cap. As the Cambodian prepares to slice Cap in half from the rear, Cap reaches back and blasts him in the face with two-fisted quantum fury. The Cambodian goes down, but one of his soldiers emerges from the jungle and opens fire. Plastique returns and takes the soldier out before he can hit Cap’s wound and reopen it. The two hightail it to Thailand.

Back stateside, Eiling is receiving his third star from none other than President Reagan. Babylon and Dr. Megala are in attendance as well, though they don’t seem pleased.

Megala and his assistant feel Eiling’s third star is not deserved. Babylon notices that Randy and Peggy have ducked out of the ceremony early.

Randy is upset with his sister because she maintains her father’s innocence even after reading the transcript. She says all it did was strengthen her belief that someone framed Nathaniel Adam. She throws the report at her brother and storms away.

In a little Thai village, Nate meets up with Goz, who was waiting for his friend’s arrival. Plastique blends in with the villagers, but not before Goz spots her. Nate pretends he doesn’t see Plastique. Goz isn’t buying this and disapproves but lets it go. The two soldiers board a helicopter and fly away, watched by Plastique.

This was a fun (if wordy) issue. Not a lot of action but what is there is splendid. The Cambodian, with his X-Ionized sword and lightning-quick reflexes, is a worthy adversary for Captain Atom. And I really like the vulnerability Cap showed (not that he had much choice; he was unconscious through most of the book). And the stage has been set for a few interesting things to be resolved (Randy’s devotion to Eiling, Peggy’s devotion to Nate, and the uneasy alliance between Plastique and Captain Atom). Cary Bates told a good tale and managed to make Plastique a lot less two-dimensional. And Pat Broderick knocked it out of the park with the cover alone. A+

This issue opens with Captain Cameron Scott in a flight simulator with Colonel Steve Trevor. He is training for a mission so secret he knows nothing about it. He chokes, causing the simulator to “crash.” Trevor seems to have some confidence in Scott’s abilities, although Scott says he’s “no top gun.”

This bugs me because TOPGUN is the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, and Scott is in the Air Force, not the Navy. I’m probably just splitting hairs here. I’m sure Cary Bates figured it was an Air Force term because it is associated with pilots. The Navy isn’t the first thing to leap to one’s mind when thinking of pilots.

Trevor refuses to give Scott any details about the mission. He orders Scott to do eight more hours in the simulator. Scott begins to wonder how his regular boss, General Eiling, will react to his being sent on a secret mission; does he know or will he consider Scott to be AWOL?

Of course, that is exactly what Eiling thought, as he reveals to Allard at the shooting range. And he is highly ticked off that General Hillary tagged Scott for this mission “behind Eiling’s back.” He’s afraid that Captain Atom’s secret identity will be compromised, but a quick phone call to the White House should get Scott off the mission. And speaking of the White House, Allard has a communique from the oval office for Eiling. Eiling has been promoted to a three star general, with a ceremony to be held the following Friday. Eiling decides not to make that call to the president after all. He doesn’t want Cameron Scott showing up to his three-star-general party.

*

Later, in Hillary’s office, Colonel Trevor and Captain Scott are finally being briefed. He begins by pulling a paper airplane out of his briefcase. He says it has been “treated” by an apparatus called the X-Ionizer. The plane has a metallic sheen. Tossing it toward a nearby metal filing cabinet, Hillary demonstrates that it can easily cut through any surface.

The problem is that the X-Ionizer was lost over Cambodia in 1969 when it was being transported to the West. It was believed lost forever, destroyed in the plane crash. However, over the past year, reports of X-Ionized objects have been turning up in Cambodia. It has come into the possession of Ian Rydley, an ex-mercenary with “strong pro-West sentiments,” and he wants to hand it over to the United States. To avoid setting off an international incident, Trevor and Scott are to fly stealth planes into Cambodia to pick up the device. Scott was tagged because his file indicates he is an expert on Cambodian terrain. From Scott’s perspective, it has not been that long since he has been in Cambodia, as Captain Nathaniel Adam. Scott seems somewhat taken aback by the revelation that he must return to Cambodia, thinking “after all these years it has come back to haunt me.”

*

Later, strolling through a public park, Nate is telling Peggy and Goz horrible jokes. This worries Peggy, because her mother told her Nate would always do that before a dangerous mission. Goz says, “She’s on to us.” Peggy just asks her father to promise he’ll come home. Nate says he is coming back and that is a promise he will never break again.

*

45 hours and 7,800 miles later, two stealth planes streak towards the East, piloted by Captain Scott and Colonel Trevor. With them is Goz and a Lieutenant Barker. They spot three tails on their radar and lose them in some clouds. They watch as three Russian MiGs pass them by. 17 hours later, they are in Cambodian air space and 25 hours later they are on the ground. After all that time in those planes, their asses must have been really sore.

Nearby, a woman is watching the team. She thinks to herself (in French) that the “younger man with the prematurely white hair” looks like an operative she left to die in Toronto several months back. Reading Trevor’s lips, she discovers that it is, indeed, Captain Scott. Careful readers will realize this woman is Plastique, whom Captain Atom tangled with once before.

*

After a six-mile trek through the jungle, Trevor’s team comes up Ian Rydley’s jeep. It has been cut in half and Rydley is dying in the road. He says, “s-spare… spare… spare,” before dying, which Barker thinks is his way of asking Trevor to kill him. But he promptly dies anyway. There is no sign of the X-Ionizer and Trevor remarks that the jeep was cut clean through, as if with a laser (get with the program, Trevor). Before they have a chance to work it out, they hear loud explosions in the distance.

A kilometer or two away, Plastique is blasting someone, demanding the X-Ionizer. Whomever he is drops the X-Ionizer but appears to been blown some distance away because of his blast-resistant shield. Plastique indicates that she witnessed this stranger cutting the jeep in half. She goes over in her head her plans to sell the device to the Trike Corporation, unaware that an armored swordsman is approaching her from behind.

*

The team witnesses the swordsman taking a swing at Plastique, slicing her jaunty panama hat in two, narrowly missing taking her head off. She drops the X-Ionizer. As she blasts at the Samurai, Trevor and Barker retrieve the case. It is empty. Remembering Rydley’s dying words, he and Barker hoof it back to the jeep.

*

Witnessing the battle between Plastique and the mysterious Samurai from a different location, Goz loses track of Nate. He realizes what his friend is off to do (Goslin knows Adam/Scott is Captain Atom, but Atom doesn’t know he knows). Sure enough, Captain Atom launches into action. Meanwhile, Trevor and Barker recover the real X-Ionizer from the “spare” tire on Rydley’s jeep. Captain Atom stands between Plastique and the swordsman, lecturing her but not watching his back. Much to his surprise, the Samurai swings his sword and manages to cut Atom’s metal skin.

Captain Atom punches the swordsman in the face before collapsing in a painful explosion.

And it is established right here that when the Modern Age Captain Atom’s shell is punctured, there is a release of energy. It isn’t the power of a hundred (or even one) nuclear explosions. It is big and it is bad but it isn’t end-of-the-world-bad. That little bit of Captain Atom lore is retconned in later.

*

Meanwhile, Trevor and Barker have inexplicably made it back to the jets. Barker promptly puts a gun to Colonel Trevor’s back. He takes the X-Ionizer for “his government,” fully believing that between Plastique and “the Warlord,” Scott and Goslin are most likely dead. He pulls the pin on a grenade and lobs it at Nate and Goz’s jet. The stealth plane blows apart.

*

Barker explains that “his government” will use the X-Ionizer to create an unstoppable army of soldiers and machines. He says they also want Steve Trevor, and orders the Colonel to board the remaining jet. Barker doesn’t realize Trevor has surreptitiously grabbed a jagged piece of metal from the destroyed jet. While Barker is trying to get Trevor onto the other plane, Trevor lashes out and cuts Barker’s throat.

*

Colonel Trevor comes upon an unconscious Goz in the jungle (most likely knocked out when Captain Atom exploded). He awakens the Sergeant, who is not clear on what happened. It is Goz who convinces Trevor to leave Captain Scott behind, knowing that they are all expendable and the retrieval of the X-Ionizer is the mission’s top priority. He says Scott knows the terrain and is tougher than Trevor might think.

*

Back at the base, Peggy enters General Eiling’s office to find her brother Randy waiting there. Their happy reunion is cut short when Randy says he is aware of Nathaniel Adam’s return and wants nothing to do with “the traitor.” He says the only father who should matter to either of them is Eiling. He says he hopes Cameron Scott/Nathaniel Adam never makes it back from his current mission. Eiling seems extremely pleased at his stepson’s reaction.

*

Wow. Very little Captain Atom in this issue of Captain Atom. I like it. It reminds me of the early Charlton days when Adam sometimes dabbled in espionage. I also like the character of the Cambodian (although the Samurai is never referred to as such in this issue, he is later called “the Cambodian’). Here’s a guy who can actually deal Cap some damage and does so without super powers. I give this story an A. And Broderick and Smith’s art is great. Sometimes the book is a little light on the backgrounds, but I like Pat Broderick’s style when drawing the Captain. I give the art an A, too.

*

It was upon reading this issue that I realized I have been spelling “Goz” wrong all along. I have been writing it as “Gos,” clearly ignoring what Cary Bates wrote back in ’87. I just thought I’d acknowledge that little mistake of mine.

The security of the whole free world was at stake! Every agent of the United States was put on extra alert! That’s how Captain Atom came to be allied with Nightshade, one of the most attractive spy smashers that our country has ever had! Together this powerful pair find themselves confronting an almost impossible task of capturing a man who could disappear at will. But how do you catch a ghost?

And so begins a new chapter in Captain Atom’s life. He gains a new nemesis and a new friend in this issue. Both of which would follow him into his new life at DC Comics twenty-one years down the road.

Captain Atom is called to the Pentagon, where he is briefed on the Ghost, a criminal that has been “causing havoc for private industry.” They believe he will soon strike the government but don’t know where. As “ghosts have no use for industrial secrets or classified information,” Cap suspects it is “an outer space being or a very clever man.”

Cap is informed he’ll be working with a female agent named Nightshade (that darling of darkness). This will be her first mission. She arrives, her black ponytail bouncing. She wears a mini-skirt over black tights and a mask – clearly she is a super-hero – but her powers are not yet revealed. She and Cap are given tickets to a party being held that night by “Alec Nois.” The military believes a few of the Ghost’s agents will be there.

Meanwhile, “in another part of Washington,” the Ghost arrives in a darkened office and removes his mask. Through flashbacks we learn his name is Alec and that he suffered hardships when he was growing up (girls didn’t like him because he was poor and boys didn’t like him because he was studious). He built a teleportation device and used it to rob banks and the like. His goal is “Operation Golden Ghost,” which he will execute once he has stolen the floor plans for Fort Knox.

Meanwhile, Allen Adam is readying himself for the party, thinking to himself that Nightshade will be more of a burden than on asset. As Eve Eden (Nightshade) prepares herself for the party, she is thinking how great it will be to be teamed up with that hunky Captain Atom (1960s comic stories at their best here, folks).

Later, at the Alec Nois party, Adam is having trouble figuring out which of the guests could be the Ghost. He is impressed by Nois’ wealth, though, wondering how Nois made his first million. Then all heads turn to see Eve Eden arrive (she is a “jet-set” leader and a Senator’s daughter).

Adam sees a waiter pass a message to a dude. He follows the dude to another room, where he is on the phone arranging Ghost stuff. Eve also saw the exchange and makes an excuse to break away from Alec, who also wanted to break away from Eve to do more Ghost stuff.

Eve follows the dude outside. She changes into her Nightshade costume instantly (that must be her super power – super clothes changing). She flips the guy and demands to know what the message said. Just then, the Ghost materializes before her. When she takes a swing at him, he vanishes and reappears a few feet away. This is when Captain Atom joins the fight. With the wave of his hand, the Ghost teleports Nightshade and Cap to another dimension.

Before long, the two are teleported back where they came from, but the Ghost is long gone. Cap remembers overhearing the Ghost’s flunky mentioning “section 18.” Nightshade tells him section 18 is a secret file and map room at the Pentagon. Cap picks her up and they fly off.

The two heroes burst in on the Ghost in section 18 just as he has located the plans to Fort Knox. He teleports the blueprints away, makes a stupid Beatles reference, and vanishes before Cap can get him. He reappears before Nightshade and taunts her. This goes on for a little bit. The heroes can’t catch him. Before he teleports out for good, he says, “I’m going to do what Goldfinger failed to do! I’m going to steal the gold in Fort Knox!” Man, this guy loves his pop culture references.

The two heroes return to the Nois house and change into their civvies. Adam is shocked to learn Eve Eden is Nightshade. Eve thinks Allen Adam is a hottie. When Adam asks her why she does the super-hero thing, Eve dodges the question. They return to the party.

The next morning, they make their report to their C.O. The next morning? What if the Ghost’s plan was to go straight from the Pentagon to Fort Knox? Was it really necessary to return to that party and then report their findings the next day? It was okay, though, because the Ghost didn’t act that night.

Back home, Alec “Ghost” Nois studies the blueprints. He talks about getting a crew together for the job.

Adam and Eve (yes, I know) opt to drive to Fort Knox in their civvies, afraid their super-identities would draw too much attention (but Cap can turn invisible and really doesn’t even need Nightshade!). They pass a suspicious truck on the road and think it might be tied in to the Ghost’s heist.

The Ghost receives word that everything is nearly in place for the heist. He collects a “machine” that will help him with his heist, makes a Lincoln reference (sheesh), and teleports away.

Fort Knox is on high alert. For some reason, Cap and Nightshade dropped their plans to approach stealthily. They are in an Air Force helicopter in full costume when the Ghost arrives. Cap jumps out and flies down. Nightshade waits for the helicopter to land and then takes out four armed thugs in hand-to-hand combat. So she’s a scrapper.

Inside, Cap uses is invisibility power to freak the Ghost out. He snatches the Ghost’s machine out of his hands. Still invisible, Cap socks the Ghost in the face and the Ghost goes down. Figuring his teleportation power comes from his gloves, Cap sets out to remove them. But the Ghost was only feigning unconsciousness. He kicks Cap in the face.

As Cap is going down, he rips the glove he has clenched in his hand. The exposed circuitry goes haywire and the Ghost is enveloped in a mass of orange energy. Cap believes the Ghost is defeated for good, but Cap doesn’t realize he is in a comic book and nobody stays dead.

This issue also includes an article about Sumo wrestlers and a short two-page “educational” comic featuring Judomaster’s “favorite throws” by Frank McLaughlin. Also a special announcement from Charlton that soon they will start printing fan letters in the pages of Captain Atom.

This one is pretty good. I would have liked to have learned more about Nightshade. When I was introduced to the character years later, she had the power to travel long distances quickly via black portals she generated and could cross dimensions. Perhaps some of that will come into play here in the Charlton universe later on. A solid effort by Ditko and Mastroserio; these guys make a great team. I like the Ghost in spite of his weird references. David Kaler told spun a fairly good yarn. A well-done book but nothing too spectacular. I give Captain Atom #82 a B+.

This “universe” was absorbed into DC Comics’ Multiverse when the Charlton characters were purchased by DC. This universe became Earth-4.

This issue marks the beginning of some major changes for Captain Atom. Over the span of issues 79-84, he becomes more of a traditional superhero. Spectro is Captain Atom’s first “real” supervillain. The character resurfaces and is even included in the 1980s reboot by DC. Over the next five issues of the series, Cap will start fighting supervillains, he’ll begin doing so openly instead of being a secret government agent, he’ll begin working with other superheroes, and in issue 84 he gets a major costume change. But all these changes begin here in issue #79 with Doctor Spectro.

Now it wouldn’t be a 1960s Charlton book without at least one thing thrown in there to confuse me. In the box on the first page that credits the creative team, the first line is “created by Pat Masulli.” It only confused me for a second because I quickly realized it was Dr. Spectro that Pat Masulli created and not our dear Captain Atom (a Ditko/Gill joint). Pat Masulli was the executive editor of Charlton at the time, and was an accomplished artist himself. He was the creator of Sarge Steel (although sometimes that credit is given to the great Dick Giordano, who did work on the series with none other than Joe Gill – who himself spun quite a few plates at Charlton in the sixties), as well as Son of Vulcan. Masulli retired from comics (or withdrew from comics depending on who is telling the story) in 1967. He died in 1998 at the age of 67.

This story begins with some thugs knocking over an Air Force transport truck loaded with “highly classified and expensive equipment.” Through some heavy-handed exposition, we learn they are working for a fellow called “Rodent.” At the same time, “many miles away,” Captain Atom bursts into Rodent’s lair. His thugs recognize Cap, so I’m guessing Gill and Ditko have decided at this point Captain Atom is no longer working in secret. Rodent has elaborate traps set for Cap, but they prove no challenge for our hero.

Cap declares, “I’m going to smash you and your racket, Rodent.” Oy, the dialogue… like something from the Adam West Batman TV series (which premiered the month before this issue hit the stands, by the way). Rodent starts burning his records while his henchmen keep Captain Atom busy. They don’t keep him busy for long, and Cap manages to grab a document while knocking out Rodent. It is a list of gangs Rodent works with – only one name on the list is obscured. Atom uses his belt radio (new – er – gadget?) to pass the info to Washington.

Captain Atom is informed of the truck hijacking, and that two of the names on the list are people who are in Cap’s area. He is told to go undercover and track them down.

Days later, Captain Adam is at a local circus. He is supposed to meet Gunner there to exchange information (so Goslin is now in the spy business with Cap). The meet-up is to take place at Dr. Spectro’s side-show. While Cap is waiting, the show begins. Billing himself as “Master of Moods,” Spectro claims to have control over light and color, which can alter moods. Cap is impressed, but another patron is not – he heckles Spectro.

Now, I have to point out that on page 5, Captain Adam is in his civilian clothes in one panel, then inexplicably in his Air Force uniform in the next one.

The heckler sends Spectro into a flashback, where he recalls “the authorities” scoffing at his belief that he could cure the sick with color. He was fired from wherever he worked, but didn’t give up on his work. Every time he presented his idea to others, he was openly mocked. So he became a circus performer so he could continue his experiments and test his theories on people. And Spectro was right. When he blasted the crowd with a red ray, everyone (including Adam) become depressed.

Spectro uses a blue ray on the heckler, who is overcome with fear and runs off. Captain Adam is alarmed and decides he needs to talk to Spectro after the show. What he doesn’t realize is that the gang leader whose name was burned off the list is also in the audience. He wants to use Dr. Spectro to cause a distraction in town while he knocks over a local bank.

Adam meets up with Gunner, who has no new info. Meanwhile, the gang leader is trying to get Spectro to go along with his “joke.” Spectro says he’s fed up with jokes so the gang leader socks him in the jaw. Dr. Spectro falls backward into his light and color machine and he absorbs all the refracted energy. The resulting power he now has twists his mind and he vows to teach everyone who ever mocked him a lesson. He blasts the gang leader and his henchmen with a green ray that makes them feel sick. They run off.

Gunner catches a smoke while Adam goes to speak with Spectro. The crooks pass him, blabbing about their upcoming bank robbery. They realize Gunner has overheard them, so they pull a gun on him. Meanwhile, Adam is trying to convince Spectro to use his discoveries to benefit mankind. Spectro says he’s already tried that and was laughed at. He blasts Adam with the green ray and Adam rabbits out of his tent.

Gunner, who had been knocked out by the crooks, comes to in a storage room behind an iron door. He uses a secret radio hidden in his dogtags to contact Adam. As Captain Atom, he homes in on the signal and rips open the iron door. Cap quickly realizes these are the jokers who hijacked the Air Force truck. Gunner clues Cap in on the bank job.

Cap catches up with the crooks at the banks, where they are hard at work on the vault. He uses his heat blast to make one of the hood’s guns sizzling hot. But the boss criminal (and they really call him the “boss criminal”) refuses to give up. He flings sand from an ashtray at Cap, which momentarily blinds him. It doesn’t slow Captain Atom down, who takes out the goons and gives the boss criminal an atomic punch.

Just as the cops arrive to mop things up, Doctor Spectro makes his move. Out in the street, he’s shooting colors left and right. People run away in terror, and even Captain Atom and the cops succumb to the fear ray’s power. Captain Atom generates tremendous body heat which deflects the fear ray’s power.

Doctor Spectro converts all his light and color into pure power rays, knocking Captain Atom back. He then uses blue light to cause the bystanders to hate Cap. Realizing the crowd in being manipulated, Cap leaps beyond their reach and creates an atomic fireball in his hand. He flings the ball at Spectro, who absorbs the power, and stores it so he can use it for himself.

Spectro blasts a nearby car’s gas tank. The car explodes, and Spectro absorbs the power of the explosion. He hits Captain Atom with a a ray “more brilliant that the sun, with more power than an atomic blast.” With a “last desperate lunge,” Atom smashes Spectro into nearby power lines. Spectro begins to absorb the energy of the power lines. Cap tries to cut off the power before Spectro can take in more than he can control.

Supercharged with “more energy than any man had ever held before,” Dr. Spectro hurtles after Captain Atom. Spectro continues to blast Atom, eventually burning out like a light bulb that has received too much voltage. Doctor Spectro simply fades away. When the police ask what became of the evil doctor, Cap says he feels Spectro is still up there somewhere.

Overall, I really liked this issue. It is obvious they are taking Captain Atom in a new direction. This is Joe Gill and Steve Ditko at their best (so far). Captain Atom #79 is definitely an A. Venturing close to A+ (the ham-handed exposition in the first few panels bring it down).

This “universe” was absorbed into DC Comics’ Multiverse when the Charlton characters were purchased by DC. This universe became Earth-4.

Although these stories were probably written by Joe Gill, he is not credited. In the first story, Captain Atom has learned that a plane transporting a U.S. diplomat has been sabotaged to crash somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. Cap comes upon the plane just as it is about to crash, and rescues the plane off-panel.

Captain Adam meets the diplomat on the ground, who tells Cap about the mysterious engine trouble that they had and his confusion on how they landed safely with no operable engines, even though he knows about Captain Atom.

At the embassy, Cap does a little make-up work and assumes the identity of the diplomat (Mr. Haynes). He believes that “the enemy” plans to kidnap Haynes. Ten minutes later, he is proven right when a man posing as his chauffeur abducts the disguised Captain Adam. The kidnappers promise to get him to the conference, but that he’ll be delivering words they provide.

At the conference, another diplomat (Malnov) accuses the U.S. of lying. He says they want an atomic war. When “Haynes” gets up to speak, he tells the other diplomats that he was kidnapped by Malnov’s men. The men open fire on Cap, but to no avail. Haynes excuses himself for a moment (so Cap can switch back with the real Haynes), and when the true diplomat returns, he begins to discuss disarmament.

Cap meets with Odeva, a double agent who tells him “they” have got a hundred atomic missiles ready to be fired (“they” must be the Russians). Captain Atom finds the missiles, prepping for launch. When they spot Captain Atom flying in, they launch the missiles, which Cap easily smashes.

Returning to the summit meeting, Adam whispers to Haynes what has transpired. When Malnov gets up to speak and threaten to launch his missiles, Haynes gets up and says, “Baloney!”

Again, this could have been a better story if it were longer. It is good for what it is, a B in my book. Ditko’s art is A material again, even though in the second panel it looks like Captain Atom is wearing an adult diaper under his costume.

“The Boy and the Stars”

Artist: Steve Ditko

In this story we meet Master Sergeant Wilkie Scott, a man who was once an invaluable officer but has of late been making stupid mistakes. One of these mistakes was to launch nuclear missiles over major U.S. cities. Captain Atom is disarming one over Manhattan in the opening panel. He rides the rocket out into space, saving millions of New Yorkers.

Back at the base, we learn that Scott has been so distracted because his son is dying of gamma ray poison. Funny, gamma rays didn’t kill Bruce Banner. Adam approaches Wilkie. The two of them get in a jet and fly to Wilkie’s home on the West coast. They visit Wilkie’s son in the hospital.

Adam asks the boy, Buddy, if he’d like to go into space. He becomes Captain Atom, who Buddy instantly recognizes and calls by name. So, like in Space Adventures #39, Captain Atom is again a well-known superhero and not just working in secret for the Air Force.

Captain Atom flies into space with Buddy, who the hospital staff think Captain Adam kidnapped. Of course, Wilkie Scott doesn’t panic, so he must know Adam is Captain Atom. Somehow, Buddy is not instantly killed when in the vacuum of space. Also, Ditko again displays his on-again off-again inability to draw realistic-looking children. The kid’s body is way too small and his mouth is way too big. I love Steve Ditko’s superhero art but he was hit-or-miss with kids.

Captain Atom flies Buddy into “a lovely star that emanates a ray” that Cap has found useful in curing gamma ray poisoning. The two walk around inside the star for a bit. The Captain Atom takes Buddy on a sight-seeing tour of the Milky Way. Then Cap returns Buddy to the hospital, where he reveals he is completely cured.

Later, we see a general chewing Captain Adam out for not dealing with finding out why the rockets misfired. Adam replies that he found out the cause and it won’t happen again.

A cute story, but the science is weird. It is revealed that Buddy absorbed the deadly gamma radiation through his telescope. If that’s the case, why doesn’t this happen to people around the world all the time? And why didn’t Buddy’s head pop in space? A C story with C art (cause Buddy looks less like a little boy and more like a chimpanzee).

This “universe” was absorbed into DC Comics’ Multiverse when the Charlton characters were purchased by DC. This universe became Earth-4.

This story opens with Captain Adam on an air base looking over a new space plane, the X-49.n He is with a Dr. Hargus, a balding pudgey man in a bow tie (bow ties are cool). Dr. Hargus is calling Adam a liar because he was just on the phone with the Captain three minutes before and Cap said he was in Florida, “more than two thousand miles away.” Cap brushes the doctor off, telling him he’s concerned about the oxygen pump on the X-49. It is as if Adam has lost a little of his humanity. He sees no point in even coming up with a cover story. Like to him people like Hargus are beneath him or something. Perhaps I am stretching here, but it seems like he’s going down the “A live body and a dead body contain the same number of particles. Structurally, there’s no discernible difference. Life and death are unquantifiable abstracts.”

Okay, yeah, I am really reaching on that one. Still…

Hargus says the oxygen pump will be fine, that the test pilot, Major Silberling, has already used this gear on a different plane. Cap tells him the X-49 is much faster and the pump will fail. Hargus tries to get Adam kicked off the project but a general informs him Cap is there under orders from the president.

The X-49 is released from the bottom of a B-52 with Silberling at the controls. All goes well at first, but out of nowhere Captain Adam announces that the major is suffering from anoxia. Hargus basically tells Adam to get bent and leave him alone. Meanwhile, Silberling is singing to himself (an editorial note explains that one of the symptoms of anoxia is feeling drunk).

Adam jumps out of the B-52 and transforms into Captain Atom. He blasts through space to the X-49, hypothesizing that the oxygen pump failed because of “the fine oil vaporizing when subject to negative pressure in space.” He comes up on the craft realizing the Major only has seconds to live. Cap moves some grease around and the pump starts working again. The X-49 touches down safely. The Major saw Captain fly by, but Silberling ends up brushing it off as his mind playing tricks on him. Captain Adam winks at the reader and the story is over.

I thought this story was cute. I give Joe an A for this. Ditko’s art seems a little sloppy. Not great attention to detail and at times Captain Atom looks kind of overweight. C for art.

“Peace Envoy”

Writer: Joe Gill

Artist: Rocke Mastroserio

For the first time, Captain Atom was drawn by someone other than Steve Ditko. And he instantly looks younger.

We join the story after a great deal has happened off-panel. It is summed up in the opening: “The attack came without warning… on a morning in Mid-way, the intruders from outer soace came in, their lethal disinto-rays pulverizing every patrol craft we sent up! Only their strange withdrawal after thirty minutes saved the world from total destruction!”

Captain “Adams” (sigh) is shot down by the aliens. Strangely, instead of a flight suit, he is wearing his service dress blues. As he plummets toward the ground, he transforms into Captain Atom, and flies up into space to blast the aliens into jelly.

He goes back to the city and props up a building that is falling over. Having read all of Cap’s appearances to this point, I know that he has never done something so publically before. However, as he is propping the building up, someone addresses him as “Captain Atom.” Then after calming the panicking throngs of people, Cap flies to Washington.

Captain Atom meets with the president (again, looking nothing like Kennedy), who wants to know if they can count on Cap to stop another attack. The aliens deliver a message to the president, calling for Earth’s surrender (Captain Atom predicted they would). Cap flies off to meet the aliens, looking super pissed off.

He discovers their mothership, a huge “artificial planet.” He flies around it to them them know he’s there, and they open up an entrance for him. When the aliens reveal themselves to him, they say, “Now, see us, Earthling! Are you not repulsed: sickened by our ugliness? For we are ugly!” (Hoo, boy. What heavy-handed dialogue.)

Cap says maybe he’d be considered ugly on their world (but surely not on Earth, mrrowwww! – sorry, I don’t know quite where that came from). They ask if all humans can fly through space and survive in space. Cap sort of dodges their questions, not letting on that he is unique. When he wants to ask them some questions, they hit hi with, “We do not answer questions! We are stronger, the victors and answerable to no puny Earthlings!” Wrong answer. Cap goes apeshit and starts wrecking their “artificial moon.” (That’s no moon.)

The aliens reveal (stupidly) that all the weapons they have took much time to manufacture and are nearly impossible to replace. So Captain Atom blows their crap up. The aliens bow down to him and promise to leave peacefully and never return. For good measure, Cap kicks their little artificial-moon-planet-spaceship out into deep space. He then says to the reader, “They may return… Keep an eye peeled for their scout ships! You may spot them first!”

Oh, how awesome this could have been if it were an entire issue and not just seven pages! Joe Gill spuna good yarn this time (overlooking the obvious mistakes – “Captain Adams” and the public heroics). Taking that into consideration, I’m awarding ole Joe an A+. I really really liked this one. And Rocke Mastroserio’s art is an A. He forgot Cap’s symbol twice

“An Ageless Weapon”

Writer: Joe Gill

Artist: Steve Ditko

Captain Adam is tasked with delivering ultra-secret European defense plans to NATO headquarters. He changes into Captain Atom and flies to Berlin in 30 minutes. He buzzes a passenger plane on the way, and the pilot says if he reports one more UFO he’ll be thrown to the flight surgeons. This bugs me because IN THIS VERY ISSUE, Earth was invaded by aliens. How quickly they forget…

Cap touches down in Berlin, switches back to regular old Captain Adam, and heads for NATO headquarters. On his way in, he is distracted by a young lady tripping. When he helps her up, she pulls a gun on him and leads him to a waiting car. They drive into East Berlin with Cap telling them the whole time they have the wrong guy. He is led into a building and brought before Vladimir Koss, a man who “had a book-length dossier in every allied intelligence office in the world.”

Cap produces the documents and asks what he gets for cooperating. Koss says nothing, so Cap shoves him in the face. A thug hits Adam on the back with a gun, which breaks. He zaps another dude’s gun after he fires on Captain Adam. Cap, Vladmir, and the young lady go back to the car where Cap makes them drive back to West Berlin and NATO headquarters. He turns over the baddies and delivers the intel before flying back to Washington.

An okay story. It was cool seeing Captain Adam at work rather than Captain Atom. B for story and A for art.

This “universe” was absorbed into DC Comics’ Multiverse when the Charlton characters were purchased by DC. This universe became Earth-4.